The Beneficent – A
Commentary on Chapter 55: Surat Al-Rahmān
Introduction
This sūrah (chapter) takes its title from one of the
Divine Attributes of Allah: al-Rahmān. 'The Beneficent'.
The chapter is attributed to the early Meccan period. There is a
tradition in which the Prophet says, 'For everything there is a
bride, and the bride of the Qur`an is the sūrah of the Beneficent.'
It is the only chapter which begins with a divine name. It contains
aspects of creation in contrasting pairs: visible man and invisible
jinn, heaven and earth, land and sea, happiness and wretchedness.
All are signs and effects emanating from the one Cause.
